The many hours of hard work from our amazing students came to life on stage on Friday, 26 and Saturday, 27 July at the Dalby Great Hall and those in the audience who came along to enjoy the show were entertained and delighted by our performance of 'The Wiz'. The spectacle created with sound, dance, music and colourful and creative costumes was something to enjoy and the students were immensely proud of their effort on both nights.

Right back at the beginning of Term 1, 35 students committed their time and energy to the production of The Wiz and a team of dedicated staff members and parents came together to make it all happen. Each week, students rehearsed for up to 10 hours together as well as time spent at home learning lines and lyrics to the many wonderful songs that tell the story of Dorothy and her trip to see the Great Wiz. 

Of course, there are many incredible people who need to be thanked including staff, parents and supporters who each did something amazing that brought the whole event together. We had parents who sewed costumes, cooked food for our hungry cast and crew, made props, hauled equipment and helped with hair and make up. Our staff helped with ticket sales, making programs, promotions and general support where ever it was needed. Thank you.

We would like to acknowledge our Major Sponsors Myall Medical, Brodah Computers and Sundown Signs as well as Minor Sponsors Kelly Ag Morphology Services, Farm Sitters Australia, O'Shea's Music Centre Dalby, MacNellies Workplace Safety, Stonestreets Coaches, GDL Livestock, Cleaning and Catering, Nathan Berting - #1 Property Centre Dalby Sales, AUSURE and Ashton's Butchery. We would also like to thank Dalby Safety Supplies for their amazing work on our production shirts along with Dalby Herald for their assistance with advertising.

We must also thank Kaye Nightingale from Sunshine Linus who donated the beautiful quilts we were able to use for our raffle. It was wonderful for two of our staff to win a prize and the lady who won the magnificent first prize was very excited. 

We need to send out a huge THANK YOU to Candice Lloyd from Tease Colour and Hair Design who vounteered her time to create amazing hair styles for our cast. The styles were very cool and the students loved having their hair done by someone as talented and generous as Candice. We send another huge THANK YOU to Kerry Lindenberg from Country Rose Beauty who applied her craft to making our cast look amazing on stage. Kerry gave up hours of her time to apply face paints and beautiful make up for our two shows as well as the dress rehearsal. If any of our Senior students are looking for someone very talented for hair and make up for their formal, Candice and Kerry would love to help make you look amazing.

Arrow Energy Brighter Futures Grant also allowed us to employ the services of the very talented Hamish McGovern who assisted with many aspects of the production. Hamish worked with the students from the beginning helping them with stage movement and acting coaching. Leading up to the performance, he helped with stage make up and provided invaluable advice on how we needed to present the cast to make them look their absolute best under the lights. Hamish was also the backstage manager and he did an amazing job to make sure things were running smoothly. We thank Arrow Energy for providing us with the funds to have Hamish available and we thank Hamish for everything he did!

Lastly, we give a huge thank you to Mrs Baxter, Mr Blauw, Ms Rea, our band made up of Craig Ellis, Mr Wager and Mr Holmes  and Mr Sankey who manned a spotlight but most of all, we thank the amazing students, from both cast and crew, who displayed their talent and dedication to make the show what it was. Congratulations to all involved. Enjoy some of the amazing images from Mrs Biggar and Scott MacDougall that captured all that was so fantastic about 'The Wiz'.

Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards

Last Thursday evening we were proud to have 3 finalists in the TCS Excellence Awards, recognising the elite staff in our Diocese. The intent of the awards is to recognise members of the TCS community who create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and experiences the loving presence of Jesus.  We are very proud of the following amazing ladies who consistently go above and beyond in implementing highly effective teaching practices which enables amazing learning environments for their students.

Mrs Sandy Gleeson – Finalist – Expert Primary Teacher

Mrs Bronwyn McArthur – Winner – Expert Secondary Teacher

Mrs Melissa Irwin – Winner – Excellence in Leadership, Middle Leadership

Quadrennial School Review

Our review this week has been extremely well attended by parents, staff, community members and students all sharing their thoughts on what the College does well, and in what areas it can improve.  The feedback I have received has been considerably positive, with consistency in the areas for improvement which will be presented to staff this afternoon and then finalised in a report which we will communicate in the coming weeks.  The strength of this review is that it is not just about feedback – it underpins the next OLSCC Strategic Plan which will be implemented over the next 4 years.  A massive thanks to everyone who came and talked to the panel.  I know it is difficult to be honest and give feedback, although it is this feedback which will see our College continue to improve for the benefit of our kids. Likewise I would like to recognise the progressive leadership of our Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools in supporting our College through this process.  It is highly professional leadership such as this which makes our leadership team accountable to our community and students, just they way it should be. 

Preparedness for ATAR

Our Year 11/12 teachers have spent the majority of the past 2 years preparing for the implementation of the new Queensland QCE system, as well as all new syllabus for senior subjects.  Alongside this, they have spent all year teaching 2 syllabus versions / subjects in the same room throughout this transition.  On top of this challenge, they have recently completed their draft assessments to go for endorsement at the QCAA in coming weeks.  These assessments will the first 2 assessments for each Year 12 subject in 2020, and the quality assurance of these assessments ensures that our students are assessed in a consistent manner to the rest of the state, which is one of the strengths of the new system.  Although everyone knows what a tough job teaching is, I would like to publicly thank these teachers for their commitment to this transition and all the extra time, effort and energy they have invested for the benefit of our students.

Dalby Eisteddfod – Speech and Drama

I have been fortunate enough to witness some outstanding performances this morning from OLSCC, as well as Dalby South State School and St Francis De Sales (Clifton).  There is simply nothing better than seeing children presenting high quality performances in any domain, especially in front of such a huge audience of family and friends.  Well done everyone, we hope to share plenty of videos and photos on Facebook over the coming days, though here is a taste tester for you!

TCS Leadership Forum

Mrs Brennan will be the officer in charge at OLSCC for all of next week as I will be in attendance at the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Leadership Forum in St George with all other Principals from the Diocese.  Some key topics I will be learning about and bringing back to the College include:

• Instructional leadership
• New student information management systems
• Update of direction for Teaching and Learning, HR, Finance and Facilities
• Working with other Principals regarding current areas for improvement in the Diocese
• Personal Leadership formation and reflection
• Current curriculum priorities
• Carrers counselling strategy
• Suicide intervention strategy
• And much, much more.

Although this takes a lot of time away from College, the knowledge and insight gained from such forums enable our College to continue its progression and improvement, and keep us on the front foot of current research and practice.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal

There has been a flurry of activity throughout the Early Years as we have been preparing for two community events in the upcoming weeks.  Today, classes have participated in the Dalby Eisteddfod Speech and Drama section.  Poem lines have been memorized, diction polished and expressive faces are everywhere! If you were able to attend, we hope you enjoyed the talents of our Early years classes. please se next week's Newsletter for all the results and photos from the Eisteddfod. 

Thanks to those who have already sent in the $10 for the lantern making project that is occurring throughout the Early Years. We are looking forward to seeing many of our students carry these during the upcoming Delicious and Delightful Festival on 17 August. Even if  you know your child will not be attending the festival, all students will still be making a lantern as part of our visual art program, and we are also hoping to use these again as a display at our school Art Show later in the term. The cost covers all materials used and as a bonus, gives free entry to the festival.  More details about our assembly and collection points for the festival will be included closer to the actual event. 

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years

Junior

Catholic Schools Netball Results

Congratulations to all girls who competed at the Catholic Schools Carnival last week. The College had a very successful day losing only three games all day. The highlight of the day was the performance of the Year 5 team who finished the day undefeated to win the carnival. Thanks to Anne O'Reilly, Melinda Crow and Kaysey Wilkins for coaching and Claudia Child, Shiro Frid and Kasey Taylor for umpiring.

Year 5/6 Team (Finished 3^rd)

Round 1 vs Downlands College Win 10 - 0

Round 2 vs St Joseph's Stanthorpe Lost 12 - 1

Round 3 vs St Saviour's Red Lost 8 - 4

Round 4 vs Lourdes Blue Win 8 - 0

Round 5 vs St Thomas More's Win 9 – 7

Year 6 Team (Finished 2^nd)

Round 1 vs Mary Mackillop Win 8 - 5

Round 2 vs Downlands College Win 17 - 1

Round 3 vs Sacred Heart Win 14 - 4

Round 4 vs Lourdes Win 12 - 2

Round 5 vs St Thomas More's Lost 20 - 5

Round 6 vs Mater Dei Yellow Win 16 – 4

Year 5 Team (Overall Winners)

Round 1 vs Mater Dei Yellow Win 12 - 0

Round 2 vs Lourdes Win 17 - 0

Round 3 vs St Thomas More's Blue Win 20 - 0

Round 4 vs Mater Dei Blue Win 15 - 1

Round 5 vs St Saviour's Win 14 – 0

Catholic Schools Touch Football Results

Congratulations to all students who competed at the Catholic Schools Carnival last week. Thanks to Alecia Lockhart, Ky Kirtley and Dusty Brown for coaching and refereeing on the day.

Year 5

Draw with Our Lady of Lourdes 3-3

Loss to St Mary’s 7-1 (overall winners)

Loss to St Saviours 8-1

Loss to St Thomas Mores 6-0

Loss to Mater Dei 3-0

Year 6

Loss to St Mary’s Warwick 4-2 (Runners Up)

Win vs St Saviours 9-0

Loss to Downlands College 3-1

Draw with St Thomas Mores 2-2

Win vs St Stephen’s Pittsworth 9-0

Senior

Darling Downs Super Schools Cup Rugby

Round 1

Under 13

Scots College Warwick defeated OLSCC 26-12

Under 15

No Game this week

Open

Scots College Warwick defeated Dalby Barbarians 10-5

Round 2

Under 13

Toowoomba Barbarians defeated OLSCC 39-15

Under 15

OLSCC Toowoomba Barbarians defeated 32-10

Open

OLSCC defeated Toowoomba Barbarians 20-19

Round 3 Wednesday 14 August OLSCC vs Faith Lutheran College in Gatton

Athletics

Congratulations to all students who competed at the Inner Downs Carnival last week. Students who placed in the first four places are listed below. Training will continue on Tuesday afternoons on the College Main Oval for those students attending the Darling Downs Trials on 29 August (Field Events at O’Quinn Street) and 30 August (Track Events at the Glennie School).

Yolande Gordon – 4^th 800m

Emily Griffiths – 1^st High Jump

Breanna Hoskin – 3^rd Shot Put, 4^th Discus

Michael MacDonald – 1^st 100, 2^nd 200m

Brayden Falvey – 2^nd High Jump, 3^rd100m

Bailey Skinner – 1^st 400m, 2^nd 200m

Will Herbert – 1^st 800m, 2^nd High Jump, 4^th Long Jump

Bailey Rathmell – 3^rd 800m, 4^th Javelin

Max Ogilvie – 2^nd 800m

Ky Kirtley – 3^rd 800m

Noah Nothdurft – 2^nd Triple Jump

Ryan Welsh – 4^th Shot Put, 4^th Javelin

Lachlan Sankey – 2^nd Discus

Harry Coman – 2^nd Javelin, 4^th Discus

Touch Football

Draft 1 of the QLD All Schools Touch Football draw has been placed on the Sports Notice Board. This will most likely change slightly over the remainder of the term but will give all players and their families an idea of game times for the competition. All teams have been nominated for the SWQ Swans All Schools Carnival in Toowoomba on Sunday 18 August. Students must register online for this event and have been passed on team codes to do this.

Netball

The Junior and Senior Vicki Wilson Cup Competitions will be held later this term. The Senior Competition on will be held on Sunday 25 August at The Glennie School. The majority of the girls that attended the QISSN Carnival in the school holidays will represent the College at this event. The Junior Vicki Wilson Cup (Year 7-10) will be held on Sunday, 1 September at Nell E Robinson Park. A Division one and Division two team will participate. Trials will be held to select teams to attend this carnival will be held in the new few weeks.

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Last week, the College hosted Careers in Action Day which is an annual event that allows students to explore and experience different career options from a number of different presenters. We would like to thank our presenters for attending and providing a snapshop of their industry or business.

A huge thank you goes to the presenters from Findex Dalby, University of Southern Queensland, TAFE Mechanical and Hair and Beauty, University of Queensland, Schute Bell Badgery and Lumby, Ray White, Toowoomba Catholic Schools School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships, Queensland Police, Australian Defence Force, Western Downs Regional Council, Aurora and Paul McIntosh from Pulse Australia. 

Last week, we came together to celebrate Catholic Education as a College community. The Theme of ‘Many voices, One Spirit’ encourages us to unite in words and actions in the footsteps of Jesus. In Prep, we will continue to reinforce this theme in our Religion Unit for this term. We are looking at the book ‘How full is your Bucket? for kids’ by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. This unit draws on the values of love, compassion and forgiveness. The actions and choices the children make are a central focus as we reflect upon the choices that God and Jesus would want for us. When we make, choices based on the example set by Jesus, we help to create a place where everyone can belong and feel valued. The children are already talking about the many ways they can be a bucket filler.

STEM Club students are excited to be sharing their newly acquired drone programming and flying skills with our College at STEM Fair next Tuesday, 13 August, from 3-6pm with awards presentation at 5pm. The ‘Donut Man’ will also joining us for the afternoon. Make sure you pop up to the MPC on Tuesday afternoon  to explore our students projects and hands on STEM activities for all ages!

Did you know that more than half a million tonnes of textiles and leather end up in landfill in Australia every year!

The year 10 textiles students are in the midst of designing and creating textile items made from recycled denim and desperately need donations of denim.

Any colour, any size – all donations will be greatly appreciated.

Please leave donations at the office or give to Mrs Forbes.

Thanks so much!

After the success of our inaugural Come and Try Day for students in Yrs 1-12 we are offering another opportunity for anyone who would like to see what our College offers. Our next Come and Try Day will be on Friday, August 9. Families are asked to register at the College office so that prospective students can be placed in appropriate year levels for the day. Parents will also have an opportunity to meet with the Leadership and Administration teams to tour the College and answer any questions. Students are welcome to stay for an hour, a session or a day – choose your own adventure! Please circulate this information to anyone you know may be interested in seeing OLSCC for themselves.

Please note, the next meeting of the College P and F is next Tuesday, 13 August at 6pm in the College Boardroom. All are welcome.